When Life Gets In The Way...

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

When Life Gets In The Way...

I see so many people disappear from SparkPeople that it makes me want to cry. I know, I have heard, "Life Got in the way" of my diet.

And when my Dad went onto dialysis and Ray went into the hospital on the same day, I was saying the same thing. "I have too much on my plate to try to watch what goes into my mouth right now. I will get back on track when Ray gets out of the hospital."

But you know what? Life waits for no one! And I decided right after I had said that, that I have worked too hard to reach the point I am at to throw it away due to "life getting in the way." So on the way home from the hospital I stopped at the grocery and loaded up on veggies. And I do mean loaded up - I bought 20 packages of vegetables!

Next day when I came home from the hospital I realized I was too tired to cook the veggies and almost took the easy way out. Then I learned to cook up several bags of veggies ahead of time and leave them in the fridge and ate *leftovers* until I had finished all I had cooked.

That was a month ago and I am still losing weight while taking Dad to dialysis and Ray to physical therapy.

I share this info only because when "life got in the way," I shoved it aside and made my own way in my life!

This is a beautiful and very moving blog. You are soooo right! No matter what, there will always be problems and obstacles in life. The only way to make changes that stick are to learn how to stick to them right alongside those problems.

You are an inspiration and such a strong person!! Thanks for posting this.

I don't think I've heard that message put forth any clearer and easier to understand. You've got a good head on your shoulders! Continue forward, you're reaching those goals you've set for yourself, and you're getting there! GOOD FOR YOU!!!!

very true! i read in a book ("thin for life") that "life getting in the way" is our biggest downfall when we have made a lifestyle change. life is always going to throw curve balls at you and you really have to learn to stick with your new lifestyle despite the ups and downs of life.

That's very inspirational Linda. Yep I do the leftovers thing, too, intentionally, too. For me it's an intentional lifestyle change habit. Leftovers are God's gift. You do actually save time doing it that way - it just doesn't seem like it at the time.

Life got in the way when I moved across the country - I won't tell the story because it was so bad, but just imagine if a one-week move took nine, NINE weeks. A friend who was helping me get through the ongoing train wreck, at one point criticized me for stopping to fix food (instead of having pizza or Chinese delivered). It was meat in crockpot and frozen veggies on stove top (both fast; and crock was already done). However, during those weeks I lost alot of weight. And if I'd been eating pizza and Chinese, it would have only made things worse. When I finally was able to log back in to SP for the first time in months, I was able to move my weight tracker significantly. And, that would be a move in the SMALLER direction; not the other direction.

Sometimes the toughest thing you have to do is, persevere in being true to yourself. Sometimes the toughest thing you have to do is, NOT QUIT doing the right thing, no matter what.

The gravity and ramifications of your situation of your two men going in on the same day, far outweighs my situation. But the principle is the same. We almost gave in and gave up; but we didn't. Right now, we'd be working hard to be taking off that weight RIGHT NOW!, if we'd given in then.

It was worth it. Looking back now, it was worth it to do the right thing then. We have to remember that; when we get on the other side and are looking back, we will say the journey was worth it, the perseverance was worth it, the damn-the-torpedoes-determination was worth it. Sometimes that's the place you have to come to, in order to be able to win. But the success is worth the effort. It's worth it; and we're worth it. Now, we just have to remember that for the next test.

You are a very strong woman! I love having you apart of a team I am on so that I can see your inspiration! Thanks for the reminder that we have a choice! It is so easy to take the lazy way out and I do that WAY too much.

You are such an inspiration to all of and especially to me...thanks a million...you are so right...Lots of "life got in the way" minutes in everyone's life...the one thing to remember is that if you don't let that happen you will be able to deal with the LGITW minutes and what follows much easier!Hugs to you, special lady!!!

We will always have challenges come up. Some are larger and more traumatic than others. You have shown that it is possible to keep the intention for healthand fitness even in the midst of whatever life throws our way!

You are so right, Linda. I probably should make a copy of this and hang it on the fridge or something. Fortunately, I think I have learned this because since I started with SP, I have NEVER given up. The darn thing is that I have also learned that some of the things that you consider to be time-consuming when preparing for weight loss, such as cooking for yourself or chopping veggies, actually end up saving time in the end. I have learned that it is generally quicker to cook a meal than to get in the car, drive to a restaurant, wait to be served, wait for the food, and wait for the check. Of course, shopping and cleaning up take time, but that can all be planned, too. I've learned that it is easy to make excuses and feel sorry for yourself (sometimes justifiably). But at the end of the day, life goes on, and you are the one left to deal with your body.

I was a member of a Yahoo group when I was following Atkins. Some members continued to follow the plan in light of really bad events. Others just gave up. I am also saddened when I see people on SP say that they are taking a break because of family problems. I can understand if you can't log on, post messages, comment on blogs or track your food, but I hope they are not throwing everything they learned to the wind.

I absolutely love your attitude, and it totally explains why you have posted the 80 lb. icon!!!

you are so Awesome!!! I'm so thankful that you're here and able to share because you're so right. When things get tough and life gets in the way, we as women tend to take a back seat in order to care for others. I'm glad that you found a way to do both. Huge Cudos for you!!! Hugs! Laurie

I get a kick out of the way most of us say "life got in the way" or "this is a journey". Don't get me wrong I totally believe them but how we use those excuses to stop or detour around them is of our own choosing. You did a great job on that "stop" sign. I'm glad you chose to take the detour instead.